Lasers to Help Whip Wind Energy into Shape
Written by Jeff Kart
Published on August 13th, 2009
How do you make a better wind turbine? With lasers, of course.
The Manassas, Virginia-based Catch the Wind(TSX-V: CTW.S) has signed an agreement to work with the National Renewable Energy Lab in Boulder, Colorado, to test the company's Vindicator laser wind sensor.
Catch the Wind will provide a test unit to the U.S. Department of Energy facility for up to three years. The lab will use the Vindicator to measure wind speeds and direction with a goal of optimally aligning turbines and turbine blades. The idea is to cut stress loads on turbines and up their energy output.
The Vindicator works by using fiber optic lasers to sense the wind that's approaching a turbine at various ranges. The info is then reported to the wind turbine's control system, which adjusts the turbine accordingly, the company says.
Phil Rogers, president and CEO of Catch the Wind, said in a statement that the agreement will allow his company to demonstrate its laser system on a national stage. The testing should demonstrate that turbines can be made to run with less maintenance while putting out more power, Rogers says.
Austin Powers, eat your heart out.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES CAN HELP RENEWABLE ENERGY REPLACE DIRTY COAL, NUKES, AND OIL!
DENNIS SPISAK
MAHONING VALLEY GREEN PARTY
OHIO GREEN PARTY
WWW.OHIOGREENS.ORG
WWW.VOTESPISAK.ORG/THINKGREEN/
That's great! Maybe some day we will all have little wind generators on our roofs (not kidding). Remember when satellite dish's were 12 feet across, now they're no bigger than a pizza box. I applaud news like this. It's just another demonstration of how the private sector, if left unhindered by government, will churn out innovation after innovation.